brecknell



Patented Dec. 6, |898.

w.v BRECKNELL. MEANS FUR BAISING 0R LUWE'BING DUUR UR LIKE UURTAINS UB SCREENS.

(Applibnsion med sept. 17, 189s.) (No Modal) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

TME Norms Putas co. Puomu'mo.. wAsHvNaoN, Dscy No. 6|5,605. Patented Dec. 6, |898. W. BRECKNELL.

MEANS FOR RAISING 0R LUWERING DUUR 0R LIKE CURTAINS 0B SCREENS.

(Application led Bept. 17, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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NrrED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

WILLIAM BRECKNELL, OF YVEST HARTLEPOQL, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE CI-IA'ITAWAY, OF SAME PLACE.

MEANS FOR RAISING OR LOWERING DOOR OR LIKE CURTAINS OR SCREENS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.6 15,605, dated December 6, 1898.

Application tiled September 17,1898. Serial No. 691,225. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BRECKNELL, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 4 Averill Terrace, Middleton road, West Hartlepool, in the county of Durham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improved Means for Raising or Lowering Door or Like Curtains or Screens, (for which I have applied for apatent inGreat Britain under No. 25,572, dated November 4, 1897,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved means for raising and lowering curtains or screens, and relates to that kind which are suspended on doors or the like and so adapted as to cover same and lie upon the door or analogous part to effectnally exclude drafts. According to the usual practice the bottom or lower edge of the curtain or screen becomes worn and damaged in opening and shutting the door,

such movements, in addition, being often irn-` peded by the curtain, and though means have been devised to obviate these defects they have not attained to the desired requirements by reason of their clumsy and inconvenient character; and my object is to provide simple and handy means whereby the above disadvantages are overcome in a neat and efficient manner.

My invention consists in the combination of p aresilient piece or member or spring, curtainrod-supporting levers, a striking or operating lever, arm or contact-pieces, a stop or projections, and certain auxiliary parts so arranged that on opening the door the curtain is automatically raised from the floor or drawn up a predetermined dist-ance to prevent damage and impediment and on closing the curtain is automatically returned to its original position to exclude drafts.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will explain it in reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate it as applied to a door.v

Figure l is a general front elevation showing the position of the improved means when the door is closed, and Fig. 2 is an end elevation of same., Fig. 3 is a similar-View to Fig. l, representing the position assumed when the door is opened. Fig. Li is a sectional plan of the arrangement of the aforesaid resilient piece or member, and Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively a vertical section and an end elevation of details of same. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section of a detail in the construction of the curtain-rod. The fou r latter iigures are drawn to a larger scale than the first three for the sake of clearness, and for the same reason the curtain is omitted from Fig. 1.

A is a tube supported and revoluble in brackets B B B2, attached to the door C. The function of this tube is to inclose a resilient piece or member in the form of a rectangular or other transverse sectioned strip or bar D, capable of being twisted or put in a torsional condition, for which purpose it is rigidly connected io the tube A at the righthand end and at the other to the bracket B. These fixtures are conveniently arranged, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, wherefrom it will be seen that I make the bar D with terminal cured thereto by a pin e, while the portion d' is inserted in a sleeve or carrier F, arranged partly within the tube A and provided outside of same with an intermediate ring or flange f, whereby it is united to the bracket B by a screw or pin G, passed through one of a graded series of holes f f' in the flange into a hole in the boss of the bracket. The sleeve F is so fitted within the tube A that either may be revolved independently of the other, and for turning the former I form it beyond the flange f with a square part f2 to receive a suitable operating-tool. The tube A is revolved, as hereinafter explained. Supposing the screw G is displaced, then the sleeve F is free to be turned within the tube A by a spanner, for example, applied at the part f2, and when it is turned and the tube A suitably held rigid the strip D, due to its immovableness at one end consequent on its connection to the tube A and its fixture in the sleeve 9 F at the other, is forced into a condition opposing its normal tendency, Vthe degree of which is determined by the amount of curtain lift desired, and maintained on reuniting the ange f to the bracket B bythe screw G. The

IOO

object ofthe holes f f' is to admit of various adjustments in this respect. For appearance an ornamental cap]es is shown fitted 'over the flange f and square part f2.

H is a rod from which the curtain is suspended in the usual way. It is carried by brackets or levers J'J J2, fixed by pinsor otherwise to it and to the tube A as Well. Therefore they are integrallyr united, any movement imparted to the tube being communicated to the rod, and consequently the curtain also. The lever J has formed on or fixed to it an arm or contact-piece K, adapted to coact with a projection orstop L, attached to the Wall M (or it might be the door-frame) Y in such manner that when they are forced into contact the tube A, by reason of its connection with the arm or prolongation K through the lever J', is revolved in the brackets B B B2 against the force exerted by the bar D, which when the said contact is broken effects its revolution the other way. The amount of these revolutions may be limited, as shown in Fig. l, by providing on the tube A a pin a to Work in a bifurcation b of the bracket B.

In the foregoing I have described the construction of my invention. Now I will eX- plain its working, which is as follows: Assuming the curtain I is raised completely off the floor, then the parts will be in the positions illustrated by Fig. 3, and on closing the door O the arm K strikes and is pressed backward by the stop L, which has the effect of turning the tube A in its brackets B B B2, whereby the rod H is depressed and the curtain lowered, this state being maintained by the continued contact of the arm K and stop L on the complete closure of the door, as shown in Figs. l and 2. Synchronously with the movement of the tube A, rod IfI, and curtain I the strip D is twisted or subjected t0 torsion, since its end d is fastened to the tube and turns therewith, while the end d is immovable, due to its connection at the bracket B. Thus it will be understood the door C is closed and thev curtain I lowered in opposition'to the resiliency of the strip D. On opening the door the arm K leaves the stop L. Therefore the strip D is permitted to resumevits original condition, and under this reaction the tube A is rotated in the reverse direction to that before referred to, the rod II is raised, and the curtain I lifted the predetermined amount, as illustrated in Fig. 3. In this way the curtain is positively actuated, the lifting resulting simultaneously with the opening of the door and lowering on closing it, all dragging being abolished and the life of the curtain thereby prolonged.

In arrangements of this kind usually the curtain-rod projects at each end beyond the door to enable the curtain to completely cover Same. I-Ience in the general situation of doors, as indicated in Figs. l, 2, and 3, a flexible joint at the hinge side is necessary in the rod to prevent itfouling the wall or its equivalent on opening the door andat the same time maintain the curtain inthe required position, so that When the door is closed the curtain will require no readj usting. In constructing such a joint I make the rod H wholly tubular or only at the end adjacent to the door-hinges, whereat I divideit transversely, whence two parts h h result, into each of WhichI lit a plug N, one being furnished with a double eye and the other with a single eye, which are fitted together and united by a pin n to form a hinge. In the outer end of the part h I insert another plugvP, provided with a roller p, adapted to run on a plate Q, as shown in Figs. I and 3, fixed on the ,wall M to preserve it. The roller and plate can, however, be dispensed with, if desired; but I prefer to use them. As clearly shown in Fig. 7, a hole is maderin each plug- N, through which passes a cord or chain R, having one end fastened by knotting or otherwise at the inner end of the plug N Within the part h of the rod H and its other end joined to a springS, in turn united to the plug P. Thus on opening the door C the rod I-I instantly rises, as before described, and comes in line with the plate Q, and as the door is opened wider the part h comes in contact with the said plate, thereby causing the rod tobend at the juncture therein against the pressure of the spring S, as represented in Fig. 3, the part h running on the plate Q. On closing the door the rod H rea sumes its initial position, as shown in Figs. l and 7, under the action of the spring S. In stead of this joint I may of course adopt any of the known joints that may be suitable.

As will be evident, the construction of my improved means is neat and compact, there being no unsightlylevers, cords, &c., exposed to View when the curtain is drawn or removed,

as in some of the present arrangements, and

the parts are made of any appropriate mateL` rial or materials having the visible surfaces polished or otherwise adapted to render the appearance pleasing.

Though I have described my invention in regard to door-curtains, for which4 it is spe cially intended, still it may be applied to anal ogous curtains or screens and the details may be varied according to circumstances. L For exa ample, instead of a simple resilient bar a com pound one may be employed, vand there may be two or more stops or projections on the wall or door-framing for coactin g with a simit lar number of striking arms orprolongations in connection with the curtain-rod.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In. combination, in a curtain raising mechanism, the curtain-rod, meansconnected therewith for raising the same, a striking arm or leverconnected with said means to control it in its operation and a stop on the wall for operating the striking-arm, said striking-arm ICO and curtain-rod being carried bjv' the door, substantially as describedf 2i In combination with the door, a curtainrod, brackets supporting the same, a resilient bar or strip connected with the brackets to raise the said curtain-rod and extending longitudinalljT of the curtain-rod, and means for resisting the lifting tendency of the strip when the door is closed, substantially ask described.

3. In combination, the door, the curtainrod, the brackets carrying the same, the resilient rod D connected to the brackets, the cover A for the rod, the Astriking-lever connected with the strip and the stop on the Wall, substantially as'described. i

4. A curtain-rod having a exible end joint 

